


Spring Forward, Fall Back

by CourierNinetyTwo



Series: The Summerwolf Chronicles [2]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2014-10-28
Packaged: 2018-02-22 22:56:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2524772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CourierNinetyTwo/pseuds/CourierNinetyTwo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A continuance of the werewolf!Danny AU. Spoilers up to episode 25.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spring Forward, Fall Back

You may have wondered why I didn’t say anything about Carmilla being a vampire before we tied her up, before Laura was bitten.

The thing is, outing someone else’s supernatural status without their consent is asking for a special kind of hell to rain down. Sure, there was the occasional jerk who thought they were the first one to invent a blackmail scheme, but they inevitably ended up floating along a river, in pieces or otherwise. It wasn’t pretty, but nothing brings a community together like someone planning to turn credible evidence over to the media.

I’ve never had to do it. I’ve never  _wanted_  to, but I remember plenty of stories about my mother’s mother and all the blood she had to swallow for our sake. When the borders of human provinces closed in on pack lands back in the day, the transition hadn’t been clean for anyone.

Going straight to Laura’s room with a stake might have seemed a little extreme, but when Perry came to find me, I let instinct take the lead. It was a good thing the Summer Society had already stocked up on firewood for the season, better still that a freshman down the hall carved it as a hobby. I didn’t even stop to think if the myths were true as I whittled it to a sharp edge; instant kill or not, there wasn’t much of anything that could shake off being impaled.

I ran, so fast that Perry was wheezing to keep in step with me. It was a miracle that I didn’t slam the door off its hinges when it opened. The second I made contact with dark eyes, the tang of blood hit me like a wave, thick enough to swallow, and I saw red.

It was bullheaded, stupid. Carmilla’s hand wrapped around my throat tight as a vise, the stake slapped out of my hand like a child’s toy. The wolf under my skin shuddered and yearned to break free and I knew she felt it. With the shift, I could tear her to shreds, but changing in such a small room was asking for collateral damage. Lying to the RAs about scratched walls and broken beds was easy, but Laura was almost close enough for me to touch. My claws would slice through her skin like paper; she’d see everything I really was.

When she begged for my life, it felt like my guts had been wrenched out and fallen to the floor. I was supposed to protect  _her_  from this, from being a vampire’s plaything, but here I was choking, Carmilla’s grasp tighter than a hangman’s noose. Finally, her fingers went slack and stars burst across my eyes, every breath taken in bringing as much agony as relief.

I’m sure you know the rest, and for my own sake, I don’t really want to repeat it. Who doesn’t know on this campus when that camera on Laura’s desk never turns off, when the videos get so many views that at least one person has to be watching this disaster play out like an afternoon soap opera? I knew why she was angry, hated being patronized as much as anyone else, but she couldn’t survive getting her throat torn out, not when she was stubbornly, wonderfully human.

Carmilla smiled at me and it took everything I had not to lunge back across the room.

I managed to stand, but my legs felt rooted to the floor, heavy as lead. There was nothing else to do but leave unless I wanted to tie Laura to a chair too, and I doubted she’d forgive me. People hold grudges a lot longer in real life than they do on television.

Before you ask, I couldn’t make Laura a werewolf. Unlike vampires, you’re either born one or you’re not. The change kills anyone who isn’t built for it.

 

—

 

I found them on the edge of the woods. This was later, after I’d showered and collapsed on my bed, cried my eyes out while ignoring the twinkle of the golden cross hanging from my nightstand. I’d had to stop wearing it after a few days; as careful as I was not to touch the metal, personal space was at a premium in the Society. After a sophomore nearly scalded her face running into me in the hall, I hung up the necklace, pinned it next to a picture Laura had taken of us at lunch, having made a small tower out of the alarmingly sturdy caf tofu.

The garbled roar of indie heavy metal had blocked out most of my thoughts while I worked through a stack of midterms, marking off points on the tests where they had clearly rewatched The Lion King instead of reading Hamlet. I hadn’t even noticed I finished up to the Hs until Laura’s loopy handwriting caught my eye, a sad and tired-looking smiley face sketched next to her name.

A restlessness seized me, pulse racing so fast I thought I was going to gag. Capping the red pen, I chucked it towards my backpack, surprised when it disappeared into the open pocket instead of bouncing off. After a quick fumble with my playlists, I settled on an artist who liked hard beats and had a penchant for howling at the end of her verse — don’t judge, it’s comforting — and put on my running shoes.

The path didn’t matter. However fast or far I ran, I knew this land like the back of my hand, every flower and tree, where the rain or snow gathered after a storm. If it was a coincidence I found them together, it was a cruel one. More likely than not, I’d caught Laura’s scent somewhere on the air and changed direction without considering how or why. Drenched with sweat and panting, the wolf chased me like a shadow, ready to take control if I stopped.

Lucky that it didn’t, then, because the sight of Carmilla kissing Laura made me stumble to a halt, ducking behind a red oak before either of them could turn to look. I hit pause on my music just in time to hear an aggrieved sigh; even if Carmilla hadn’t seen my face, scent and sound were dead giveaways to a vampire’s senses.

“What’s wrong?” Laura was breathless, voice small.

“Nothing.” Irritation edged into Carmilla’s tone and I felt her stare burn through the wood at my back. She knew exactly where I was.

“It was too soon to kiss you, right? I’m not even sure I should be kissing you at all, or anyone with my track record right now—” Laura’s words trembled and shook, spilling out in a rush, “—can we just rain check this for a minute so I can go scream into my pillow and figure things out?”

“Of course.” All warmth drained away as Carmilla spoke, leaving a chill in its wake. It wasn’t anger, though, just hurt, and I hated that I felt sorry for her. “Take the sidewalk path back. Who knows what’s lurking in the forest?”

The sidewalk was in the opposite direction from where I stood. She had made sure Laura wouldn’t see me. Good.

As soon as Laura’s footsteps faded, she called out, “So are you stalking me now?”

Stepping out from behind the tree, I crossed my arms. “Should I be?”

Carmilla’s mouth twisted into a frown. “ _She_  kissed me.”

“So I heard.” Swallowing past a hard knot in my throat, I looked her right in the eye. She didn’t blink, but her shoulders went rigid.

“No stake this time?”

I bared my teeth in a smile. “You know I don’t need one.”

“But you brought it anyway. Made yourself toothless in exchange for carrying a big splinter, all so Laura won’t find out you like your meat raw.” It was calculated to be mocking, poisonous; even knowing she was baiting me, it was hard not to bite.

“I think she has bigger problems than that right now.” I said through a clenched jaw.

Then, she did blink. “You’re not jealous?”

“No.” It almost came out as a shout, sharp and honest. Carmilla looked as surprised as I felt. “I’m just worried she’s going to disappear and I’ll never see her again.”

“That makes two of us.” Carmilla admitted after a moment’s silence, upper lip curling in a sneer. “I won’t lose someone like that again.”

She meant it. As much as a part of me wanted to let the wolf rip her open, Carmilla was a pretty bad liar for having lived so long. “Then help me.”

A dark brow rose, high and skeptical. “How?”

“Laura wants space, so I’ll give her space. That doesn’t mean I can’t keep an eye on the Zetas, on the Alchemy Club, on anyone who thinks the Dean’s the best thing since bagged blood.” Carmilla snorted, but didn’t argue. “That means you need to have her back twenty-four seven.”

“She’ll hang us both out to dry if she finds out about this.”

I shook my head, more in frustration than anything else. “Maybe. But tell me, when’s the last time a human took down a vampire solo?”

“It took four to off Dracula.” Carmilla shrugged. “That’s the only elder kill I’ve even heard of.”

“That actually happened?” I asked, staring with wide eyes.

“As far as I can tell. A lot of upper-crust vampires made a fuss about ditching Eastern Europe for it to be a hoax.” She said it so casually you’d think she was reading off a weather forecast.

Filing that away to freak out about later, I closed the distance between us with careful steps. “So are you in or not?”

“Yes, Dances With Wolves. Just don’t let it slip to the red-headed Wonder Twins or Laura will find out faster than you can say ‘lycanthropy.’”

I couldn’t help a grin. “Did you have to pass a pop culture course when you get out of the coffin or do you just really like watching TV?”

“There are worse ways to pass the time.” Brushing a bit of dust off her jacket, Carmilla looked out towards the dorms. “If your little plan is going to work, I should probably go find her, shouldn’t I?””

The smile vanished and I nodded. “If anything gets out of control, I want you to call me, okay? I’ll come running.”

“You have a talent for it, I’ve noticed.” When I tensed, she waved her hand dismissively. “I didn’t mean it that way. Just give me your number.”

I did, and a moment later Carmilla was a dark blur, taking a shortcut through the forest that would lead her to the back door of the dormitories. Turning on my heel, I was about to dash back to the Society when a rabbit leapt in front of my feet, completely unaware of the threat I could be. Its nose twitched, ears flopping about like it was having the time of its life amidst the grass and fallen leaves.

“Lucky for you, buddy, I’m not angry any more. Or hungry.”

Tucking my earbuds back in, I started off at a brisk jog, following the serpentine path of the sidewalk back home.


End file.
